Dawes Performance at XPoNential Music Festival Short But Sweet

Los Angeles-based quartet Dawes brought their unique brand of SoCal-infused blues rock to the XPoNential Music Festival at the Susquehanna Bank Center in Camden, N.J. on July 26.

The band is powered by the Jewish Goldsmith brothers: Taylor, who sings lead vocals and plays guitar, and Griffin, who plays drums and is the younger of the two 20-somethings.

Founded in 2009, Dawes has released three albums thus far and the group has often been compared to Laurel Canyon musical acts Neil Young and Crosby, Stills and Nash, giving them the reputation as a "vintage" group in the vein of those pioneering folk-rock bands of the 1960s.

Their performance at the publicly supported radio station's 21st outdoor summer music festival, where Dawes opened on the main stage for Jenny Lewis and headliner Ryan Adams, was fairly short — they played for about 30 minutes — but packed some punch.

Opening with "From a Window Seat," a single from their 2013 album Stories Don't End, they also played "Time Spent in Los Angeles" and new song "Things Happen" before diving into fan favorite "When My Time Comes."

"We were supposed to do this last year," Taylor told the crowd, referring to the band's canceled performance at last year's festival due to torrential rains. "So we have a lot of making up to do."

His remarks proved a bit baffling when Dawes closed with "Most People" before heading offstage to the astonishment of a crowd expecting more than a five-song set. Calls for an encore died away as the stage crew started setting up for Jenny Lewis.

The Goldsmith brothers did reappear during Lewis' performance when they were invited on stage to provide backing vocals for the acoustic ballad "Acid Tongue."

The following evening, music powerhouse Beck closed out the three-day festival.

Beck's maternal grandmother is Jewish which, according to Jewish law, makes Beck Jewish. He has also said in the past that he was raised Jewish though he now identifies with Scientology.

Longtime radio hits such as "Loser," "Devil's Haircut" and "No Pollution," had the crowd bumping and grooving late on a Sunday night.

To view more photos of the event, click on the media icon at the top right of the screen.